Sharp Waves: ILAE's epilepsy podcast

Counseling of teens and young adults with epilepsy about reproductive issues is not happening often enough. Conversations about pregnancy are almost non existent. Sharp Waves spoke with authors of a recent paper that details these findings and discusses possible solutions.Read the study: A retrospective textual analysis of sexual and reproductive health counseling for adolescent and young adult people with epilepsy of gestational capacity - Epilepsy & Behavior (epilepsybehavior.com)Related articles by the same authors:Sexual and reproductive healthcare for adolescent and young adult women with epilepsy: A qualitative study of pediatric neurologists and epileptologists - Epilepsy & Behavior (epilepsybehavior.com) (2020)A survey of child neurologists about reproductive healthcare for adolescent women with epilepsy - Epilepsy & Behavior (epilepsybehavior.com) (2021)Sexual and reproductive health concerns of women with epilepsy beginning in adolescence and young adulthood - Epilepsy & Behavior (epilepsybehavior.com) (2021)A Survey of Healthcare Providers About Reproductive Healthcare for Adolescent Women With Epilepsy - Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (jpagonline.org) (2022)Pediatric Neurologists’ Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Care for Adolescent and Young Adult Women With Epilepsy and Intellectual Disability (2022)Preferences and experiences of women with epilepsy regarding sexual and reproductive healthcare provision - Epilepsy & Behavior (epilepsybehavior.com) (2022) Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

People with epilepsy don't always know when they have had a seizure - and yet establishing seizure frequency is a key part of epilepsy management. When Dr. Mark Cook's father was diagnosed with epilepsy, Dr. Cook realized that a system to identify and predict seizures could improve care and change people's lives. Dr. Parthvi Ravat talks with him about entrepreneurship in epilepsy and ways to advance the field through innovation. Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Is surgery for pediatric epilepsy "worth it"? What factors determine quality of life in families with a child who has epilepsy? Dr. Kette Valente talks with Dr. Mary Lou Smith, whose work has implications for clinical treatment decisions, as well as expectations for the impact of treatments in children with epilepsy. Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

EEG training varies within countries as well as between them; in many countries, there is no training available. Dr. Bruna Nucera talks with Dr. Sandor Beniczky about the present and future of clinical neurophysiology training, including a recent review that calls for harmonizing this type of training across the globe. Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Seizures are common in neonates, but there is substantial management variability. The Neonatal Task Force of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) developed evidence-based recommendations about anti-seizure medication management in neonates in accordance with ILAE standards. Dr. Emma Carter speaks with first author Dr. Ronit Pressler about the guidelines and recommendations, and how they were established. Treatment of seizures in the neonate: Guidelines and consensus-based recommendations—Special report from the ILAE Task Force on Neonatal Seizures Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

In the 1990s, there was more funding for leprosy research in the United Kingdom than for epilepsy research. It was around that time that Dr. Edward (Ted) Reynolds, then president of ILAE, recognized that as a global problem, epilepsy required global solutions. His idea blossomed into the Global Campaign Against Epilepsy and established a partnership among ILAE, the World Health Organization, and the International Bureau for Epilepsy that continues to this day through the Intersectoral Global Action Plan for Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders (IGAP).Dr. Reynolds is interviewed by Dr. Edward Bertram, ILAE Secretary General. Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

For her podcast, Epilepsy Sparks Insights, Torie Robinson interviews epilepsy clinicians and scientists from around the world. Diagnosed with epilepsy at age 10, Torie is working to share knowledge with people with epilepsy, their families, and the public. Her episode topics range widely, from the biochemistry of epilepsy, to the importance of epilepsy nurses, to epilepsy as an autoimmune condition, to sexual issues.Listen to Epilepsy Sparks Insights wherever you get your podcasts, including YouTube.Finding Torie:PodcastWebsiteYouTubeFacebookInstagram: @TorieRobinson10X (formerly Twitter): @TorieRobinson10 Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Dr. Luis Oliviera is parent to a son with an ultra-rare developmental and epileptic encephalopathy.  He's also a researcher with the Michael J. Fox Foundation.  He created an organization bringing parents and researchers together to better understand his son's disorder, which is part of a  group of disorders caused by rare mutations in v-ATPase genes. Dr. Oliviera was interviewed by Dr. Alina Ivaniuk.Visit the v-ATPase Alliance websiteContact the v-ATPase AllianceWhat is v-ATPase? Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The Idea of Epilepsy, published in 2023, covers the history of epilepsy from multiple perspectives over the past 160 years. It ends with a tantalizing question: Does epilepsy actually exist? Dr. Phillip Pearl interviews author Dr. Simon Shorvon about why and how he wrote the book and what it has to offer clinicians, researchers, and non-scientists alike.More about The Idea of Epilepsy (from the publisher) Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Are people who have their first seizure during sleep at greater or lesser risk for future seizures, compared with people who have their first seizure when they're awake? Dr. Laurent Sheybani interviews Dr. Elaine Pang, author of a 2023 paper in Epilepsia that analyzed data from 1,312 adults visiting a first-seizure clinic.This episode also discusses a 2015 evidence-based guideline on managing a first unprovoked seizure in adults. The guideline was developed by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society. Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam was an organic chemist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the father of cannabis research. His team was the first to elucidate the structure of cannabidiol, or CBD. Dr. Mechoulam passed away in March 2023. This episode is a remastering of a conversation between Dr. Mechoulam and Dr. Meir Bialer, held in 2018 at the 13th European Congress on Epileptology. They spoke about CBD, THC, the endocannabinoid system, and the effects of cannabinoids in epilepsy and other conditions. Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Nearly one-third of people with autism also have epilepsy. Researchers aren't sure why.  For people on the spectrum, epilepsy can prompt unique challenges. Seizure symptoms can be misinterpreted as common autistic behaviors. Treatment may also be difficult due to the stress of a clinical setting, or the impact of anti-seizure medications on autism symptoms. Currently, some experts argue that there is a lack of research in assessing these care pathways.   To learn more about diagnosis and treatment for people with autism and epilepsy, Joy Mazur spoke to Dr. Colin Reilly and Dr. Stéphane Auvin.Related studies/links: Epilepsy in patients with autism: links, risks and treatment challenges Besag FMC, et al., 2017Neurobehavioral Comorbidities in Children with Active Epilepsy: A Population-Based Study Reilly C, et al., 2014Traditional and non-traditional treatments for autism spectrum disorder with seizures: an on-line survey Frye RE, et al., 2011Epilepsy and autism - National Autistic Society Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Dravet syndrome is a rare, severe epilepsy caused by changes in a gene called SCN1A. The changes cause the gene to stop functioning normally. But not everyone with this type of genetic change develops Dravet syndrome, and people with Dravet also have a wide range of clinical characteristics, which can't be fully explained by these changes. What else is going on? We spoke with Dr. Sanjay Sisodiya about a recent publication on genomic influences in Dravet syndrome.This episode is based on a recent publication in the journal Brain:Widespread genomic influences on phenotype in Dravet syndrome, a ‘monogenic’ conditionDravet syndrome is a rare severe epilepsy typically caused by loss-of-function SCN1A variants. Despite a recognizable core phenotype, Dravet syndrome also has phenotypic heterogeneity, which cannot be explained by clinical factors or SCN1A variants. This relatively small study (34 adults) found that additional genomic variation contributes to the diversity of phenotypes found in Dravet syndromes. The authors suggest that the SCN1A variant may need to act against a "broadly compromised genomic background" to generate the full Dravet syndrome phenotype, and that genomic resilience may contribute to a reduction in mortality risk among adults with Dravet syndrome.  Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Sara Staggs was a civil rights attorney and pregnant with her second child when her doctors told her to stop practicing law: her seizures had become too frequent. Staggs' 2023 novel, Uncontrollable, fictionalizes her experiences with epilepsy and provides insight into how epilepsy affects families, careers, and relationships. Staggs talked with Dr. Alina Ivaniuk about her epilepsy history, her surgical evaluation experiences, and how she pivoted from attorney to author. Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

We'll frame today's talk around a paper recently published in the European Journal of Neurology:  "The incidence and risk factors associated with seizures in cerebral amyloid angiopathy." With us today is the first author of the article, Dr. Brin Freund.  Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Diet treatments are often used with the aim of reducing seizure frequency and severity — but they may have other benefits as well. Findings from a recent study conducted in Norway suggest that dietary treatments may normalize emotional symptoms and that health-related quality of life (HRQOL) might be an indicator of successful diet treatment in the future. Joy Mazur spoke with Dr. Magnhild Kverneland about the study's results and its implications.   Health-related quality of life in adults with drug-resistant focal epilepsy treated with modified Atkins diet in a randomized clinical trial was published in Epilepsia in March 2023. Related studies: Anxiety and depressive disorders in people with epilepsy: A meta-analysis Scott A, et al., 2017 Modified ketogenic diets in adults with refractory epilepsy: Efficacious improvements in seizure frequency, seizure severity, and quality of life Roehl K, et al., 2019 Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Some published data suggest that besides their effect on cholesterol, statins also may play a neuroprotective role in some neurological disorders, including epilepsy. Dr. Bruna Nucera interviews Dr. Anthony Marson and Dr. Emilio Russo about whether and how to test statins as potential anti-epileptogenic drugs. Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Functional seizures, also known as psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), resemble epileptic seizures. Unlike epilepsy, they are not prompted by any electrical activity in the brain. People with functional seizures live with stigma, stress, and emotional and financial burden — and so do their care partners.Joy Mazur spoke with Shannon Guinard, who cares for her husband, about the challenges and stigmas that face care partners of people with functional seizures. Resources and relevant articles:  Information about psychogenic non epileptic seizuresDepression and anxiety in caregivers of patients with functional seizures Tsamakis K, et al., 2023 Social aspects of life in patients with functional seizures: Closing the gap in the biopsychosocial formulation Asadi-Pooya AA, et al., 2021Welfare consequences for people diagnosed with nonepileptic seizures: A matched nationwide study in Denmark Jennum, et al., 2019 Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Do seizures have daily, weekly, monthly, or other rhythms? In Part 2 of our two-part series on circadian rhythms, Dr. Laurent Sheybani talks with Dr. Maxime Baud about the latest research on circadian and multidien rhythms in epilepsy. Selected publications: Seizure cycles in focal epilepsy - MG Leguia, et al. (2021) JAMA NeurologyEndogenous multidien rhythm of epilepsy in rats - MO Baud, et al. (2019) Experimental NeurologyLamellar bone is an incremental tissue reconciling enamel rhythms, body size, and organismal life history - TG Bromage, et al. (2009) Calcified Tissue InternationalMulti-day rhythms modulate seizure risk in epilepsy - MO Baud, et al. (2018) Nature CommunicationsSeizure forecasting: Bifurcations in the long and winding road - MO Baud, et al. (2022) Epilepsia Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 The cyclic properties of seizures have been known for more than 100 years, but does everyone with epilepsy have a seizure pattern? What can be learned from seizure diaries, RNS data, and animal models, and how can this information guide further research and clinical care? Dr. Laurent Sheybani talks with Dr. Mark Quigg about circadian rhythms in epilepsy.Selected publications:Electrocorticographic events from long-term ambulatory brain recordings can potentially supplement seizure diaries - Quigg M, et al. (2020) Epilepsy ResearchCircadian and ultradian patterns of epileptiform discharges differ by seizure-onset location during long-term ambulatory intracranial monitoring - Spencer DC, et al. (2016) EpilepsiaInterrater reliability in interpretation of electrocorticographic seizure detections of the responsive neurostimulator - Quigg M, et al. (2015) EpilepsiaVariation of seizure frequency with ovulatory status of menstrual cycles - Herzog AG, et al. (2011) EpilepsiaIs there a circadian variation of epileptiform abnormalities in idiopathic generalized epilepsy? Pavlova MK, et al. (2009) Epilepsy & Behavior Registration is now open for the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, held September 7th through 11th in Rome, Italy. Join your colleagues for five days of teaching courses, symposia, platform sessions, career development sessions, and more! To receive a discount on registration fees, register by May 10. Visit the ILAE website for more information, or register directly at bit.ly/ilaerome. That’s Support the showSharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.Let us know how we're doing: podcast@ilae.org.The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.